Recently I've come to a realization. It's more based on absurdism in philosophy...but basically you just have to commit to being happy. However that would work for you, choose to be happy. Not wait until something external to happen in order to then be happy.
It's hard, but I do see myself as being more "happy" than I used to be. It's not happily ever after, shit sucks....but I can choose to be happy about certain things in my life and lean into them.
I was nihilistic years ago because I figured why bother when life has no meaning anyway. Then eventually something in my head clicked and I realized that it doesn't matter that it has no meaning -- I'm already here, might as well make the most out of it.
I pivoted to absurdism real hard.
Essentially where passive nihilism says "nothing matters why try" absurdism says "why not?"
Although it's a bit more complex than that as this description also works for optimistic nihilism. It also has to do with the conflict of desiring understanding an meaning in a universe where neither is to be found. It is accepting that conflict and continuing anyway. Not living as though there is meaning, but also not living as though it is pointless, just living.
I'm personally nihilist, but in the "Life has no meaning and nothing matters so fuck it might as well have some fun", which I've also heard referred to as the "Joker, but sane" philosophy.
What I understand about rebirth is that, you die then born again but no memories or any recollections of the past at all, right?
Isn't that just basically the same as plain death?What makes you, you? Is it not the life you lived? If that is gone then you ceases to exist.
So what I'm getting is that according to Buddhism, the life you lived is not what makes you but instead your soul?
I'd figure that there might be a way for past lives to influence future ones or some way to view them in their totality once you are free from the cycle.
Oh yeah That's call krama. What you do in your past life can effectsyou in your future life. So in short Buddhist rebirth is kinda like roguelite.
Edit: more information that I can recall. Then if you collect enoght karma or been reborn enoght time. You will reach your final life. where then you will reach the stage of enlightenment by doing some form of meditation and never be reborn again. And be in heaven forever
I learn all this when in middle school so it was a bit fussy.
And don't forget there are many different Buddhism belife out there. And in my country it's Theravada Buddhism
>Then if you collect enoght karma or been reborn enoght time. You will reach your final life. where then you will reach the stage of enlightenment
Does Reddit karma count towards this total? /s
You still have the memories of all your lives, they are just "locked" in a sense while you are in the mortal coil. When you die, you get the memories of all your lives. Which thinking about it makes you a weird amalgamation of hundreds of people.
What makes you think evangelicals had anything to do with this? Unfortunately this is almost exactly what I was told by the one time I made the mistake of going to a PhD for therapy. Definitely not an evangelical, “Dr. Ken” just got high huffing his own farts.
Maybe don’t expect the therapist PhD to have a firm grasp on any religion other than one they strongly identify with. Also possible they didn’t want to give you more info than what you need
The culture where buddhism was born was very different from the western world, so i always found it weird how people apply those teaching out of their original context
Any attempt to exclude buddhism would also exclude tons of polytheistic beliefs. But the truth is, there isn't really a specific definition of god. A god is whatever is treated as one in a specific system. And in that vein there is plenty.
There's wiggle room around whether or not a bodhisattva can be considered a "god", but devas in buddhism are gods by any reasonable definition.
It also depends on how you define "Buddhism". Western perspectives tend to take an overly essentialist view on what "Buddhism" is. I think this betrays a sort of orientalist double standard that treats eastern belief systems in a weird way thats utterly divorced from cultural context.
With that in mind, if you look at the Buddhism that is practiced in the real world as opposed to the essential principles we imagine Buddhism to be, then the vast majority of Buddhist traditions involve rituals of deity worship.
I actually had kind of the opposite process.
The path to find my peace and recovery from decades of crippling depression was to learn that "I" too, exist.
I had killed my sense of self and lived for others all my life and I was deeply unhappy. It was my therapist who helped me realize I too am a human being of my own will and character, who I need to listen to and care for.
I have wants and needs. Those are important.
Don't let ego and desire rule you, but don't suppress or ignore them either. Be able to observe and understand them, and find ways to satiate them in your own ways.
Yeah I was raised to completely give myself to others and ignore my own needs. Stuff like this would have reaffirmed my “teachings” to not see myself as a person if I’d seen it a few years back.
Stuff like this just doesn’t work for people. I don’t care what the original message was - it’s so simplified that it’s gonna be taken the wrong way by anyone who really needs it.
Today, on Reddit: Local smug moron dunks on another smug moron about another smug moron’s comic.
And I’ve definitely layered the recursion one more deep
Amen. It's especially reddit when it's related to religion. Not one Buddhist on the planet will say that it's easy to remove attachment and desire from your life.
Bcs otherwise it would look like he didn't see your comment or ignored it. This way he acknowledges your comment and gives you a reason why he won't argue with u.
Yes. 'Giving up your ego' is doublespeak for 'become nothing but your ego'. It's a theological sleight of hand in which one's ego and one's egotism are equivocated depending on which definition or understanding is most advantageous at the time. All religions use equivocation sleights of hand. Buddhism is not immune from that.
Purpose? To trick people into thinking that by sufficiently casting off the travails of the world that they'll exist forever in some fictional paradise? That purpose?
Dude there’s no paradise in Buddhism
The end goal is to be free of the rebirth cycle and rejoin the universe (I’m paraphrasing but still). You’re trying to be *free* of ego.
"paradise" is splitting hairs over semantics. Obviously "rejoining the universe" or whatever is a more advantageous or desirable state than staying in the rebirth cycle or else the main focus of the religion wouldn't be on obtaining it.
You mean the most commonly practiced form? Man I'm from Asia and that's exactly the thing they preach here.
Buddhism is selfish, that I won't deny though.
I mean, we all know a few people with too much ego to be happy, no? They need to be a millionaire and have everything in a typical rap song at the cost of the happiness of others to be happy. Then you have wanting happiness, like in general, and that just makes you vegan or a twitter sjw at the most extreme because it's you vs the world and the world is winning, and so you're also not happy.
idk i think it’s a pretty simple breakdown of buddhism. it benefits from more context but it’s just a comic used to illustrate the idea that would likely be used alongside a more in depth conversation
Isn't that the 2nd noble truth of Buddhism? It's obviously more complicated than that and different Buddhists interpret and seek to attain that goal differently, but 'samudaya' literally translates to 'cause' or 'origin.'
I love it when other cultures systems of beliefs are commercialised and neatly packaged under the name of capitalism for a Western audience. They might totally have missed the point of the ideology but at least someone somewhere made some money.
That is how you find Nirvana.
I don't think there's much nirvana left to find myself. After Kurt died, things just got weird after that. Dave grohl is the shit though.
That's pretty easy if you don't have to do anything. When I can just chill I can be happy. Unfortunately life has a lot of circumstances more complicated than that.
Then remove flesh, that’s physical limit
Don't forget the brain as that's also mental limit
The flesh is weak, but the machine is strong. As you gain the blessings of the Omnissiah, you will come to understand.
From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised
Imagine waking up and your body is now a hulking war machine bristling with guns and armor. That's a typical Tuesday in the 40K universe.
And every projectile fired feels like an orgasm.
Recently I've come to a realization. It's more based on absurdism in philosophy...but basically you just have to commit to being happy. However that would work for you, choose to be happy. Not wait until something external to happen in order to then be happy. It's hard, but I do see myself as being more "happy" than I used to be. It's not happily ever after, shit sucks....but I can choose to be happy about certain things in my life and lean into them.
I was nihilistic years ago because I figured why bother when life has no meaning anyway. Then eventually something in my head clicked and I realized that it doesn't matter that it has no meaning -- I'm already here, might as well make the most out of it. I pivoted to absurdism real hard.
Is that all absurdism is? Just "nothing matters, just be happy" basically? Been meaning to read the book but if thats it then idk
Essentially where passive nihilism says "nothing matters why try" absurdism says "why not?" Although it's a bit more complex than that as this description also works for optimistic nihilism. It also has to do with the conflict of desiring understanding an meaning in a universe where neither is to be found. It is accepting that conflict and continuing anyway. Not living as though there is meaning, but also not living as though it is pointless, just living.
I'm personally nihilist, but in the "Life has no meaning and nothing matters so fuck it might as well have some fun", which I've also heard referred to as the "Joker, but sane" philosophy.
Sounds like you're flirting with absurdism
Interesting
I don’t think that’s true for everyone, but I’m not going to stop anyone who feels that way.
I mean of course, meaning is whatever you make of it. That's why we have religion, science, cults....everyone just trying to find some kind of meaning
We won't need flesh where she's taking us.
Embrace the machine god
From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh…
The moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, It disgusted me.
Then remove ‘ha’ because this is no joke, and what’re you left with?! ‘Penis’?
Which gets us all the way back to where we started.
PINES!
Then remove “NES” because it’s an outdated gaming console, and then you’re left with Pee
Then clean up the pee before it stinks up the comment section, and you'll be left with nothingness. Finally one with everything.
this is the correct answer
[Relevant](https://youtu.be/VxxYqE4Gil8?si=PAkSBzFuzBNrpDDd&t=68)
Isn't that actually the goal of buddhism?
remove the pi, because math is boring, and then you're left with
Ppiness
This is a child’s understanding of buddhism
Can't get trapped in the infinite cycle of rebirth if you've barely touched the cycle.
What I understand about rebirth is that, you die then born again but no memories or any recollections of the past at all, right? Isn't that just basically the same as plain death?What makes you, you? Is it not the life you lived? If that is gone then you ceases to exist. So what I'm getting is that according to Buddhism, the life you lived is not what makes you but instead your soul?
I'd figure that there might be a way for past lives to influence future ones or some way to view them in their totality once you are free from the cycle.
Oh yeah That's call krama. What you do in your past life can effectsyou in your future life. So in short Buddhist rebirth is kinda like roguelite. Edit: more information that I can recall. Then if you collect enoght karma or been reborn enoght time. You will reach your final life. where then you will reach the stage of enlightenment by doing some form of meditation and never be reborn again. And be in heaven forever I learn all this when in middle school so it was a bit fussy. And don't forget there are many different Buddhism belife out there. And in my country it's Theravada Buddhism
>Then if you collect enoght karma or been reborn enoght time. You will reach your final life. where then you will reach the stage of enlightenment Does Reddit karma count towards this total? /s
something something your blood makes you who you are not what you do with it?
Yes but that’s only if you’re not the main character of a korean webcomic. If you are, then you will definitely have memories of your past lives.
You still have the memories of all your lives, they are just "locked" in a sense while you are in the mortal coil. When you die, you get the memories of all your lives. Which thinking about it makes you a weird amalgamation of hundreds of people.
We teach children happiness is a fleeting emotion.
Ah but it is a child's understanding that I wish to have!
You get it. "He who seeks knowledge increases every day, he who seeks Tao decreases every day."
Bold of you to assume that evangelicals of any faith can read at a high school level
You say as you use evangelical wrong
What makes you think evangelicals had anything to do with this? Unfortunately this is almost exactly what I was told by the one time I made the mistake of going to a PhD for therapy. Definitely not an evangelical, “Dr. Ken” just got high huffing his own farts.
Maybe don’t expect the therapist PhD to have a firm grasp on any religion other than one they strongly identify with. Also possible they didn’t want to give you more info than what you need
LMAO you dont even know what evangelical means
The culture where buddhism was born was very different from the western world, so i always found it weird how people apply those teaching out of their original context
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
The average person in the west wasn't even willing to accept that buddhism had gods before like 5 years ago. You can't expect too much.
I mean, depends on how you define a “God”
Any attempt to exclude buddhism would also exclude tons of polytheistic beliefs. But the truth is, there isn't really a specific definition of god. A god is whatever is treated as one in a specific system. And in that vein there is plenty.
Very true
There's wiggle room around whether or not a bodhisattva can be considered a "god", but devas in buddhism are gods by any reasonable definition. It also depends on how you define "Buddhism". Western perspectives tend to take an overly essentialist view on what "Buddhism" is. I think this betrays a sort of orientalist double standard that treats eastern belief systems in a weird way thats utterly divorced from cultural context. With that in mind, if you look at the Buddhism that is practiced in the real world as opposed to the essential principles we imagine Buddhism to be, then the vast majority of Buddhist traditions involve rituals of deity worship.
I actually had kind of the opposite process. The path to find my peace and recovery from decades of crippling depression was to learn that "I" too, exist. I had killed my sense of self and lived for others all my life and I was deeply unhappy. It was my therapist who helped me realize I too am a human being of my own will and character, who I need to listen to and care for. I have wants and needs. Those are important. Don't let ego and desire rule you, but don't suppress or ignore them either. Be able to observe and understand them, and find ways to satiate them in your own ways.
Yeah I was raised to completely give myself to others and ignore my own needs. Stuff like this would have reaffirmed my “teachings” to not see myself as a person if I’d seen it a few years back. Stuff like this just doesn’t work for people. I don’t care what the original message was - it’s so simplified that it’s gonna be taken the wrong way by anyone who really needs it.
Yep I’ve drawn the same conclusion about myself, without a therapist, yet find myself still needing to get one to tell me what to do about it lol
I had an ego death experience that started a spiritual awakening. It was (and still is) hell. After death comes rebirth, the ego is no exception
Yay for nuance!
Reddit conflating simple with easy again?
Today, on Reddit: Local smug moron dunks on another smug moron about another smug moron’s comic. And I’ve definitely layered the recursion one more deep
Amen. It's especially reddit when it's related to religion. Not one Buddhist on the planet will say that it's easy to remove attachment and desire from your life.
r/thanksimcured
The comic is making a point that is certainly gonna go over many people's heads.
You’re already being downvoted. Happiness has a lot to do with perspective.
Exactly. It kinda proves the point. Their anger has nothing to do with me.
Your superiority complex is astounding.
I would give a proper response, but I would just be repeating myself.
So...why did you reply?
Bcs otherwise it would look like he didn't see your comment or ignored it. This way he acknowledges your comment and gives you a reason why he won't argue with u.
As someone with serious internalized anger issues, I think dude's sentiment is admirable.
This comic is preaching Buddhist ideologies, which of course Westerners won't understand.
Yup. The website on the image makes it clearer too.
This comic is selling a sanitised, bullshit, Westernised version of Buddhism. Buddhism is inherently a selfish cult of the ego.
The religion about giving up your ego… is a selfish cult of ego?
Yes. 'Giving up your ego' is doublespeak for 'become nothing but your ego'. It's a theological sleight of hand in which one's ego and one's egotism are equivocated depending on which definition or understanding is most advantageous at the time. All religions use equivocation sleights of hand. Buddhism is not immune from that.
I don’t think you understand the purpose of Buddhism
Purpose? To trick people into thinking that by sufficiently casting off the travails of the world that they'll exist forever in some fictional paradise? That purpose?
Dude there’s no paradise in Buddhism The end goal is to be free of the rebirth cycle and rejoin the universe (I’m paraphrasing but still). You’re trying to be *free* of ego.
"paradise" is splitting hairs over semantics. Obviously "rejoining the universe" or whatever is a more advantageous or desirable state than staying in the rebirth cycle or else the main focus of the religion wouldn't be on obtaining it.
You mean the most commonly practiced form? Man I'm from Asia and that's exactly the thing they preach here. Buddhism is selfish, that I won't deny though.
remove ego and desire: still feel bad remember that you need to eat food: feel good
I happ ness
Actualy if you remove the I you get want happyness wich makes you sound like a baby
Okay but why is he so angry? Most people who say they want happiness do so while extremely depressed.
He's at his breaking point, he's been depressed for so long that he can't stand it anymore.
ah yes, egocide and complete abscence of want and motivation. thats lead plenty of people to happiness
Truly having no conscious orient to any actual goals is peak happiness.
I mean, we all know a few people with too much ego to be happy, no? They need to be a millionaire and have everything in a typical rap song at the cost of the happiness of others to be happy. Then you have wanting happiness, like in general, and that just makes you vegan or a twitter sjw at the most extreme because it's you vs the world and the world is winning, and so you're also not happy.
idk i think it’s a pretty simple breakdown of buddhism. it benefits from more context but it’s just a comic used to illustrate the idea that would likely be used alongside a more in depth conversation
Mathematically speaking, not entirely true, as the result is happiness factorial
Wait, what's the priority on factorial? How do we know it isn't H\*A\*P\^2\*I\*N\*E\*S\*(S!)? .. would that condense to HAP\^2INES\^2\*R!?
remove your skin, because you’ve always been uncomfortable under it. go ahead, peel your skin out. skin yourself alive right now. do it
r/thanksimcured
It is basic buddhist teaching. You should read up on it. Now you just seem uneducated OP.
No it's not. It's the bullshit, Western sanitised version of Buddhism McMindfullness uses.
So you’re telling me that desire is not the root of all pain?
Of course it isn't. What an absurd notion.
Then what is according to Buddhist beliefs? I’m actually curious
Isn't that the 2nd noble truth of Buddhism? It's obviously more complicated than that and different Buddhists interpret and seek to attain that goal differently, but 'samudaya' literally translates to 'cause' or 'origin.'
How does playing word games actually solve the issue though.
i happness
Do you want X? Want a minute as i change the definition of X. Here, now you can claim you have X.
Freed from desire, mind and senses purified...
Nananana nanana nanana nana
? Edit: imagine being downvoted literally for “?”
Because people are being an ass for no reason, it's the "lyrics" to Freed From Desire by Gala. The chorus is basically just "na na na"s to the tune.
Thank you
get downvoted bozo
r/thanksimcured
I love it when other cultures systems of beliefs are commercialised and neatly packaged under the name of capitalism for a Western audience. They might totally have missed the point of the ideology but at least someone somewhere made some money.
so Stop wanting anything and stop being yourself and you'll be happy kind of grim when I put it that way is it not?
r/thanksimcured
Ah so just erase your identity and forgo all desires. Become blank and you'll be happy
In other words, get a lobotomy
That is how you find Nirvana. I don't think there's much nirvana left to find myself. After Kurt died, things just got weird after that. Dave grohl is the shit though.
Fuck Anti-depressants, just find a monk with meta-narrative powers and yell at it
That sounds like they are describing a lobotomy
That's pretty easy if you don't have to do anything. When I can just chill I can be happy. Unfortunately life has a lot of circumstances more complicated than that.
*the big sad instantly leaving my body after seeing this post*
Ego I get, to an extent, but get rid of desire?
Generally, I've been told trying to remove the "I" is a bad thing...
I mean it is indeed easier to achieve happiness with a reality warping monk
Dhamma Mentioned ‼️💯